Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1940 [PAGE 646]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1939]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

643

of any first-class college of agriculture, will be available to meet all State and Federal requirements." Another Illinois Normal School has recently indicated its intention to establish courses in agriculture that will meet State and Federal requirements for Smith-Hughes teachers. T h e president of a third Normal School is reported to have said, in effect, that he did not favor this type of duplication of University work and facilities, but if other Normal Schools established such training in agriculture he would be compelled to do likewise. It is obvious that once such a practice is established in any of the State Normal Schools it may be extended to include all five Normal Schools. Leading students of education have clearly pointed out the costly dangers involved in such competitive activity. In many cases the institutions enter new fields as the result of outside pressure groups, such as alumni associations and chambers of commerce, which insist that the particular school should equal or excel every other school in every field of study. This has resulted in much duplication of effort and unwarranted expenditure of money. One of the best examples is the development of forestry schools in the United States. During recent years more men, well-trained in forestry, have been graduated from these schools than could be absorbed by the industry, and yet the establishment of more forestry schools goes on at public expense. Obviously, State and National economy will soon demand drastic action in regard to this problem. An effective analysis and discussion of the policy and the expensive futility of duplication in program and facilities may be found under the title of "Cooperation and Coordination in Higher Education" in the Studies of the American Council on Education, Series I, Volume II, Number 5, April, 1938. Those responsible for teacher training in agriculture at the University of Illinois believe, notwithstanding the fact that not all available Federal funds have been used, that teacher training in agriculture in Illinois has been expanded as rapidly as is wise. It must not be overlooked that each dollar of Federal vocational funds must be matched by another dollar from the State. At present only abovit fifty new teachers in Smith-Hughes agriculture are needed annually for replacement and for manning new departments of agriculture in Illinois high schools. One hundred fourteen seniors in the University of Illinois College of Agriculture have applied for practice teaching during 1939-1040, and their present course of study, if completed satisfactorily, will qualify all of them for Smith-Hughes positions. T h e University of Illinois is, therefore, training ample numbers of Smith-Hughes teachers to meet all present and prospective needs in this State. If the Normal Schools in Illinois enter this field, it is certain that the annual expenditure for agricultural education will be tremendously increased in Illinois and the average quality of training will be lowered unless the State be willing to expend large sums for essential equipment and facilities not now available at these schools. In past years the requests from other States for Illinois-trained Smith-Hughes teachers and the increase of Smith-Hughes high school units in our own State created an abnormal demand for teachers. This is rapidly diminishing. There is now positively no excuse for training greater numbers of Smith-Hughes teachers in Illinois. Increasing the quality of training can always be justified. Lowering the average quality of the training of our Smith-Hughes teachers by accepting men from schools where the staff for teaching vocational agriculture must be limited and where the equipment and scientific program are materially below that available at the University, not only lowers the dignity of the teaching profession, but robs the coming generation of Smith-Hughes students of their rightful educational opportunity. T h e University of Illinois College of Agriculture has been building up the quality and number of its staff and its equipment over a long period of time and at great expense to the State. Also the staff and equipment of the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station and the Agricultural Extension Service materially increase the opportunities for superior training in agriculture at the University of Illinois. Teachers need as good subject-matter trainiug as other workers in agricultural fields. A college located within a great university with a number of professional